Construction Beauty Queen (21 page)

He opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound come out. Veronica. Everything revolved around Veronica. He wasn’t surprised she’d worked her way into everyone’s hearts. She’d done it to him, too. He couldn’t resent her for taking his place inside the town’s embrace and pushing him to the outside. She deserved the town’s love.

What blew him away was that she cared about him. Not just him—she cared about everyone she met. And she’d convinced Ron, who now clearly hated him, to give him the one thing he could admit he wanted more than anything, now that he’d made peace with Steve and Leah’s memory. If he believed what Ron and Pauline were telling him, he’d have to conclude she loved him, even though she’d never said the word to his face.

The thought of her loving him seemed like the most illogical, far-fetched notion he could dream up. Yet that’s what he had thought about the idea of her growing to like life in this town, about her staying for a month, about himself falling in love with a woman like her.

The door to the diner opened, and Pauline shoved away from his table to greet the people who had just entered—Veronica’s parents.

“Is the sushi ready?” Mrs. Jamison asked.

“Yes, Jenny was just helping me with the finishing touches.” Pauline walked behind the counter, while Jenny jumped up and ran over to greet Veronica’s mother.

That left Matt still sitting rooted in the booth, and Veronica’s father glaring daggers at him. He wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up. “Mr. Jamison, may I have a word with you?”

Mr. Jamison grunted.

Matt figured it was as close to an assent as he was going to get. He took a step toward the back of the room for privacy, but Mr. Jamison didn’t follow.
All right
. If he was going to say what he had to say in front of this man, he might as well say it in front of anyone else who wanted to listen in. If he had a sliver of a chance at regaining what he’d already thrown away, he couldn’t let his pride stand in the way.

“Your daughter Veronica is an amazing person.”

“But still not good enough for you, huh, Shaw?”

He closed his eyes briefly. “Too good for me. She went to a lot of trouble to create an opportunity for my company. I’d never seen anything like it before, and I didn’t know what the hell to do with it.”

“So you turned it down. Bad move.”

Oh boy, this man sure knew how to make him sweat. “Yeah, it was a bad move, not just for my business. If it’s too late for me to change my answer and accept the job, I’ll get over it and move on. But what I didn’t see when she proposed it was that she’d offered a lot more than a business deal. She’d offered me her heart.”

“And you stomped on it,” Mr. Jamison said, sounding like he’d enjoy personally doing the same to Matt.

He’d deserve it. His stomach clenched, knowing he’d hurt her. “I don’t have an excuse, except that I can promise it won’t happen again. I love your daughter, sir. And I’d like your blessing for when I walk into the Laundromat tonight and announce it to her and everyone else there.”

“That’s quite a plan you have.” Mr. Jamison sounded more skeptical than impressed.

Matt tried to ignore that his knees were starting to shake. “It’s not much of a plan. I just decided it thirty seconds ago.”

“Then how do you know it’s the right one?”

“Because I love your daughter.” He didn’t tremble a bit when he said the words. Love gave him the courage to continue. “And she loves this town as much as I do. If I’m going to have a fighting chance to get her to forgive me, I need the whole town to help me convince her.” A town that was against him.

Mr. Jamison watched him silently for a moment. “If you change into some clothes that reflect your respect for my daughter, you can bring the sushi,” he said as if he were doing Matt a giant favor. “But everything else is up to Veronica.”

…

Tonight was her night to show off the spectacular generosity of the Kortville community. Overdressed in a blue floor-length cocktail gown that covered her right shoulder and then curved diagonally, keeping her left shoulder bare as well as much of her back, Veronica weaved among the townspeople popping the corks on the ridiculously expensive champagne and pretended the night was everything she’d dreamed of.

And it was. She had a business of her own, charity work she adored, a community she was an integral part of, and a family that loved her and was looking out for her best interests.

A murmur went through the crowd. She looked around and realized her parents were back. “Sushi’s here,” she called. “I know a lot of you didn’t get a chance to sample it at the town picnic because we ran out early, so now’s your chance. Pauline made extras so we’ll have plenty this time.”

“I helped make them, too,” Jenny piped up, squeezing between the townspeople to Veronica’s side.

“Hi, Jenny.” She bent down to hug the girl who had captured her heart as much as Matt had. If she was here, Matt had to be nearby, even if she hadn’t seen him yet.

“You think bringing sushi is going to get you special treatment from our town?” someone demanded. A murmur of agreement slithered through the gathering.

Veronica straightened and steeled her defenses. Then she realized the crowd wasn’t turning hostile on her. They were circling around someone standing in the doorway. Her parents were off to the side, so they weren’t the cause. But too many people between her and the doorway prevented her from seeing who had caused the commotion. She waded into the crush of bodies.

“This is her special day, and I swear if you try to ruin it, I’ll have disturbing the peace charges brought against you so fast that your head will spin.” Veronica recognized Connor’s voice this time.

“Nobody’s going to ruin anything. What’s going on?” Veronica finally managed to push her way through far enough to see Matt trying to enter the doorway while Barney and Connor blocked his path.

“Take these and be on your way.” Barney grabbed a pack of diapers from the shelf behind him and thrust them at Matt.

Veronica took the package and returned it to its slot. “Let him in. He brought the sushi.” Although why he was carrying the platter instead of Pauline or her parents, she couldn’t fathom.

“You look amazing,” Matt whispered, not taking a step forward.

She caught her breath at the emotion in his gaze. He couldn’t look at her that way, not if she was going to keep her sanity. Dressing like this was another reminder that she would never be the type of woman he wanted by his side on a permanent basis.

Too bad he was perfect for her.

She did a double take, realizing he wasn’t wearing his usual jeans and T-shirt. He’d dressed up in a gray suit with a blue pinstriped tie that matched her dress.

“Ron went looking for you. Did you guys talk?” she asked.

“Yes.” Matt tugged on his collar. “He dissolved the partnership, said I’d earned it and Steve would have wanted me to have it. But here’s the thing. I’ve become partial to partnerships, even though I didn’t earn and I don’t deserve the one I have in mind. Yet it matters more to me than anything your grandfather could have signed over.”

She stared at Matt. His face was inches from hers, his brown eyes more intense than she’d ever seen. Knees shaking, she wrapped her arms around her chest and took a step back. Her heel sank into one of the donated shoes that had been kicked out from the wall into the middle of the floor, and she wobbled.

Matt reached out, sushi sliding off the crystal platter as he placed his hand on her waist, steadying her.

“Maybe you should take your shoes off and go barefoot again,” Stephanie suggested.

“We have a lot of clothing options, too,” Wilbur added. “How about an orange-and-red flannel shirt?”

“No, Wilbur,” someone chided.

“Some things never change, you know,” Veronica said, unable to look away from Matt. “I still haven’t figured out how to dress appropriately for town functions.”

“These come with matching neon-yellow pants,” Wilbur pointed out.

“Those do not match,” six people chorused.

Matt grinned. She couldn’t breathe, and he was grinning as he passed off what was left of the sushi platter to Barney, over the burly man’s protests. “You couldn’t be dressed more appropriately, in my opinion. But if you want to wear orange flannel, I’ll change into the neon yellow and donate this suit and tie. I do have one complaint about your analysis of my business, though.”

“Oh, no—you have no right to complain, mister.” Glenda leaned over, shaking her finger in his face.

“What’s your complaint?” Veronica tried to look away from his magnetic gaze, needing the strength of her hovering friends and family to keep her from reaching out for him.

“You forgot to consider what happens if everyone in town boycotts me because I’m the biggest jerk who ever lived.”

“You certainly are,” Barney shouted, popping a piece of sushi in his mouth.

“Thanks, Barney,” Matt muttered drily, but his gaze didn’t waver from her face as he placed a second hand on her waist. “For some reason I don’t understand and apparently the peanut gallery doesn’t get either, you fell in love with me when I totally don’t deserve you.”

She gulped against the sudden attack of nausea and busied her hands with unwinding the tie that was choking him. “I’m that obvious, huh?”

“No. If it had been obvious, I wouldn’t have gone around thinking my love for you was one-sided.”

She blinked, sure she hadn’t understood. His hands around her waist were the only thing keeping her upright. “Can you rephrase that?”

“Looks like you two could use some lessons in communication,” Agatha mused. “It’s obvious to me what he’s getting at.”

“I love you,” Matt said.

Her knees gave out, and she clung to him. “Really?”

“Really, he loves you. He announced it to your father in the diner,” Pauline said, now standing behind Connor in the doorway.

“He also announced he had no excuse for stomping all over your heart,” Dad added.

“And that he doesn’t deserve you,” Ron said.

“
That’s
been obvious for days,” Agatha pointed out.

“Really,” Jenny said earnestly, working her way to their side. “He loves you. I do, too.”

“Well, does he have a ring to prove it?” Glenda yelled.

Matt looked around at their vocal audience and then focused on Veronica again. “I was kind of hoping we could have a few seconds of privacy…”

Veronica bit her lip, not sure if she was going to laugh or cry. “I think it’s too late.”

He closed his eyes briefly. “I hope you mean too late for privacy, not too late for us.”

She nodded, scarcely daring to hope as he pulled a ring from his pocket, her heart pounding.

“Where’s the diamond on that thing?” Barney demanded. “You need a microscope to see it.”

Matt tossed the tie aside and released the top button of his shirt, gulping as he looked around. “Tough crowd you’ve got gathered here,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“They’re kind of a package deal with me.” Veronica smoothed her finger along his unshaven face.

“I’ll take the full package,” he assured her. “Veronica…this was my mother’s ring. I’ll buy you something bigger if you don’t want it, but there wasn’t a jewelry store close enough that would have been open for me to get there and back before the end of your party.”

Veronica’s sobs choked her laughter, and she swiped at her eyes. Matt was going to propose. He loved her. Their lives were independent and interdependent, making both of them richer and happier than they could ever be apart. “If you think I care what size the diamond is, you still don’t know me at all.”

“Are you going to propose or yammer excuses all night?” Wilbur demanded.

Matt took a deep breath. “I’m going to propose.” He held up the ring between his thumb and forefinger. “Veronica, I love you, heart and soul, forever. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” She didn’t wait for him to stand up but dropped to her knees and threw her arms around him, kissing him hard. “I love you.”

Jenny jumped against them, hugging them tightly. Never letting go of each other, they opened their arms to include her.

“I knew that Veronica Jamison was a keeper the moment she walked into my convenience store,” Barney declared.

“The deed to the farmhouse is going to have Veronica’s name on it, too,” Mrs. Parker added.

“Can I be a flower girl with Jenny?” Stephanie asked.

“I’m reserving the park right now,” Glenda said.

“I’m catering the wedding reception,” Pauline announced. “Just wait until you all try my special mango-raspberry-lemonade-chocolate-mousse wedding cake.”

“Good God, what have we gotten ourselves into?” Matt’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Are you regretting not giving us privacy now?”

Veronica lifted her head just enough to look Matt in the eye. She felt like her heart was going to explode with happiness. “I’m not regretting anything, my love. I can’t wait to hear everything our town wants to do to celebrate our love for each other…and for them.”

Acknowledgments

So many people had a hand in helping me bring this book to life. Thanks to my husband and kids for their support, patience, and understanding while I’m following my dream instead of cooking dinner. Thank you to Chicago-North for the amazing first chapter critiques that set me on the right path. Thank you to Marilyn Brant, Erika Danou, Simone Elkeles, Karen Dale Harris, and Lisa Laing for multiple brainstorming sessions, unconditional support, encouragement, good food, great times, and the best writing retreats ever. Thank you to everyone at Entangled Publishing. I am so excited to call myself an Entangled author. Special thanks to Alycia Tornetta and to my amazing editor Stacy Abrams, whose vision transformed the potential of this story into a fabulous reality.

About the Author

Sara Daniel writes what she loves—irresistible romance, captivating small-town drama, and quirky characters. She writes to entertain and to give people hope and a belief that everything can and will turn out happily ever after.

On the personal side, she’s a frazzled maid, chef, chauffeur, tutor, and personal assistant. She was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels. She’s crazy about country music and the drama of NASCAR. And she has her own happily-ever-after romance with her hero husband.

www.SaraDaniel.com

http://saradanielromance.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/SaraDanielSaraShafer

http://www.facebook.com/SaraShaferDaniel

http://www.twitter.com/SSaraDaniel